Holiday shopping shatters records for Amazon

The digital retail giant is reporting more than 18 million toys were sold on Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.

Amazon is reporting that Cyber Monday was the biggest shopping day in its history, with the most products ordered globally in a single day. The digital retail giant also reported that customers around the world ordered more than 18 million toys and more than 13 million fashion items on Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.

On Black Friday alone, customers ordered more than four million toys and electronics on Amazon’s mobile app. Additionally, Black Friday sales by small- and medium-sized businesses around the world grew more than 20% compared to 2017.

Between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, Amazon customers ordered more than 180 million items. One of the best-selling brands was L.O.L. Surprise! (pictured). MGA Entertainment’s collectibles brand contributed to a 7% jump in toy sales in the US in the first half of 2018, as well as the 4% growth in global toy sales during the same period.

AI voice assistants were another top-selling item, with the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend proving to be the biggest ever for Amazon’s Echo devices. In fact, the retailer reports that the new Echo Dot was the top-selling product globally in any category. Earlier this year, Amazon unveiled the child-centric Echo Dot Kids Edition, which features digital parental controls and content services like Amazon FreeTime on Alexa.

According to market research firm The NPD Group, 15% of US internet-enabled households had an AI-enabled voice device in 2017, and that number is expected to grow by 50% by the end of this year.